Nate Oats fires back at Jay Williams’ ‘Tennis match’ remark, addressing Alabama crowd’s impact

Former NBA player and ESPN analyst, Jay Williams, criticized the crowd at Tuesday’s Alabama men’s basketball game against Clemson, questioning the lack of a home-court advantage in the 85-77 loss to the Tigers, with only 10,725 attendees reported by UA.

Williams expressed disappointment at the lack of energy in the stadium, likening the atmosphere to that of a tennis match and accusing Clemson of silencing the crowd.

In response, Alabama head coach Nate Oats commended the student section but acknowledged that the energy at times was lacking, attributing it to the team’s performance.

Oats emphasized the need for the team to step up and give the crowd something to cheer about, especially after a challenging game where the Crimson Tide struggled defensively and offensively.

With a disappointing 34% field goal percentage, Oats acknowledged that the team needs to become tougher if they want to create a more electrifying environment for the fans.

Oats emphasized the correlation between the team’s effort and the crowd’s enthusiasm, stressing the need to make tough plays that the fans will appreciate.

Looking ahead, Alabama’s next game will be against Arkansas State on Monday in Tuscaloosa.